When GENERAL HOSPITAL stars Kirsten Storms (Maxie) and Brandon Barash (ex-Johnny) announced they were divorcing in April of 2016, they also revealed they would continue to co-parent their daughter, Harper. And as their little girl approaches her fifth birthday, the exes have proven that such an arrangement isn’t just possible, it’s essential! “It’s what’s best for her,” Storms insisted to Soaps In Depth. “It’s important to us that Harper get the best possible experience growing up — and that means seeing her mom and dad in the same room with each other, frequently.”

As a child grows up, they absorb everything around them, which impacts their development. So Storms knew it would be important important to create the right environment for Harper. “She’s at an age where she’s very into the idea of family and playing houses,” the mom revealed. “And however she sees family, I know that includes Brandon and myself. She couldn’t be happier than when we’re all together.”

Of course, that’s not to say that co-parenting a child with your ex is as easy as these two make it appear. “We are divorced. Something went wrong, obviously, in our relationship for that to happen,” Storms noted. “But we work through it because we care about her enough. I’m serious when I say it’s just because we each love Harper more than anything else in the world that we can swallow our pride sometimes when something comes up.”

A lesson all parents can take to heart! For more on your favorite GH stars, keep reading the ABC edition of Soaps In Depth magazine!